Automatic feeding and weighing attachment for hat-body-forming machines.



L. HA'FEMANM NG ATTACHMENT FOR HAT BODY F0 RMING MACHINES.

AUTOMATIC FEEDING AND WEIGHI 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

fiZf/tneowo 4 11 A L. HAFEMANN nqrbmmm ggm AND wg s me ATTACHMENT FOR HAT BODY FORMING MAGHINES.

Al P L-IOATION FILED AER. 19, 1912.

Patented Mar. 18, 1913.

. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I; m @553 E L. HAFEMANN.

HING ATTACHMENT FOR HAT BODY FORMING MACHINES. APPLIUATION FILED APRJQ, I912.

AUTOMATIC FEEDING AND ware 1,05 6,536. Patented Mar. 18, 1913.

T BEE LOUIS HAFEMANN, or YONKERS, NEW YORK, Assrcnon TQFLORENCE PELL WARING,

' or NEW YORK, N. Y.

AUTOMATIC FEEDING AND WEIGHING ATTACHMENT .ron HAT-BODY-FORMING MACHINES. a

I Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 18, 1913.

Application filed April 19, 1912. Serial No. 691,874.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that'I, LOUIS HAFEMANN, a citizen of the United States of America, residing In Yonkers, in the county of estchester and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Feeding and "Weighing Attachments for Hat-Body-Forming Machines, of which the following is a specificat ion.

This invention relates to certain 1mpr'ovements in feeding and weighing attachments for hat-body forming machines, and

more especially to certain improyements in the automatic feeding and weighing mechanism, for which Letters Patent No. (598,284

- were granted to Pierre C. VVaring-on April 22, 1902, whereby a more reliableand accurate working of the'apparatus is obtained.

As has been known heretofore, the end less toothed conveyer or apron by means of which the fur is withdrawn from the hopper and" transferred to the Weighing apparatus, is automatically stopped as a result of the movement of the bottom-part of the pan of the weighing apparatus when it has receivedits correct predetermined weight of fur and moves down under such weight to a position-in which its contents are dis .jcharged. To the pan of the weighing apparatus-or'to some part connected or op-' erating therewith is applied an electric contact which after a certain amount of movement 9f the pan comes in contact with another contact, clos'es an electric Ollclllt and thereby energizes, an electro magnet for.

throwing out of action a clutch on the driving-shaft of the traveling apron so that the movement of .the apron is immediately anrested. In the present invention there are comblned with such electro-magnet means for stopping the feed-apron and means for mechanically re'startingthe apron after a certain lapse of time. To effect this there is' provided in the machine a constantly-rm tating shaft which is provided with a change-speed gear carrying a cam-roller or equlvalent device which will come against the. ,plutch or its striking gear and again. place the clutch infoperation and start the a0 feed-apron. By changing the speed ofthe constantly-rotating shaft, any desired periodl ofr' time may elapsel after the stopping of the apron "before'jt isrestarted. The COIllTBIll'S of the panare discharged and the fibrous material from the hopper.

pan returned to its former-position so as to receive a fresh charge of fur between the restarting and stopping of the apron.

To prevent the electric current from pass ing constantly through the circuit and the contacts between the pan of the weighing after the'circuit has been closed and the clutch on the shaft of the feed-apron be thrown out of action and the latter stopped, the clutch-lever is connected with a switch so that as soon as the clutch is moved out of gear, the switch automatically opens the circuit and interrupts the flow of current-in the circuit. The clutch is moved into gear again by means of a cam or equivalent device, so that the switch is again closed and the whole apparatus ready to repeat the described operations upon the next depression of the pan of the weighing apparatus.

In the accompanyingdrawings, Figure 1 represents a side-elevation of my improved automatic feeding and weighing attachment for hat-body forming machines, Fig. 2 is an end elevation partly in section, taken atright angles to Fig.1, showing the clutch for driving the feed-apron in side-elevation and in mesh with the shaft of the feedapron, Fig. 3 is a similar sectional view as Fig. 2, but showing the clutch for driving the feed-apron out of gear with the shaft of the feed-apron, Figs. 4 and 5 are respect-ively a detail side-view and a vertical trans 1 Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several fig ures of the drawings.

Referring to the drawings, A represents an endless traveling conveyer or feed-apron,

B the hopper containing the fibrous material or fur to be fed, and C the pan of the weighing apparatus. All these parts and their accessories are of the usual construction and relative disposition. The teeth of the feed-apron A are arranged to project upwardly for-taking up and conveying the According to; the present invention. the

the apron-shaft F of thetecd-apron i's ro-' tated while when the clutch-members are in the position shown in Fig". the 'shatt is not rotated. and consequently the motion of the feecbapron stopped.

\Vhen the feed-apron is in operation and has discharged the proper weight of fur into the pan C of the weighing apparatus. the pan descends until an electric contact .T arranged on the upper end of the same comes incontact with the stationary contact J and closes thereb; an electric circuit in which is included an electro-magnetic device K which latter is energized so as to release a latch-member L which is attached to a clutch-lever L that is pivoted at its upper end to a stationary arm on the sidewall of the hopper B and connected with the movable member G o't the clutch so that the movable clutch-member is instantly released from the clutch-member it and that the different parts assume the position shown in Fig. 3, whereby the motion of the shaft F and of the teed-apron A is arrested and the delivery of fur to the. pan interrupted.

The pan (1 of the weighing apparatus is mounted on a scaledoeam C of the usual construction and provided with a pivoted bottom C which is controlled by an electip-magnetic latch M. The electroauagnets of this latch are energized so as to release the bottom of the pan and discharge its contents at any suitable .time after the motion of the feed-apron has been stopped and before its restarting. In the apparatus shown in the drawings, the latch M is energized by a suitable projection on a. crankarm N which is mounted on a shaft N and which comes in contact with the lower of two contact-members 0, O which form normally'open contacts of an electric ctrcuit that includes the latch .tl: and which when the lower member is pressed against the upper member 0. close the. circuit and release thereby the latch from the. bot om of the pan (1 so that the bottom can descend 6G and discharge the contents of the pan ont a movable feed-apron I which is arranged below the As soon as the fur is discharged from the bottom or the pan, the bott' rises by its as counterweight, closes the and latcnes itself in a closed position under the influence of its counter-weight. while the pan has been returned in the meantime into its former" position. ready for receiving the next quantity of "fur. On the shatt N is furthermore mounted a cam-roller X which engages the lower curved end of the clutch-lever L and restores the parts to the position shown' in Fig. 2. whereby the clutch is again placed in gear so as to rotate the shaft of the feedapron and commence a new delivery of fur from the teed-apron to the pan.

For securely cutting otl any supply of for from the feed-apron assoon as the pan moves in downward direction, the same electric circuit which includes the contacts J and .l and the electro-magnetic device K. also includes another rdectro-magnetic derice 1 which is enerc'izcd sinniltaneously wit-lnthc energizing otthe electroanap'net K. in its normal or unenergizcd position. the elcctro-magnet P holds a deflector Q in its normal vertical position by means of an arm Q, whiclris engaged by a latch Q on the armature ot' the electro-macjtset l. as shown in Fig. 1. As soon as the electromagnet l is energized, the catch cf the deflector Q is released by the latch Q" on the armature so that the deflector under the influence of a counter-Weight at its upper end is moved into inclined position. hown in dotted lines in Fig. 1. in which poition it intercepts the last, delivery of .tur from the top of the teed-apron, prevents it from falling into the pan and returns it back into the hopper. Just before the motion of the teed-apron is restarted by the mechanical actuation of its clutch-lever, the deflector Q is returned into its Vertical position by a pin or projection 'n on the arm N coming in contact with the lower end of a fulcrumcd lever R, the upper end/of which is connected by a pivot-rod R with an arm R on the. deflector pivot so as to move the deflector back into its vertical position and into latching engagement: with-the armature of the electro-magnet l.

in F l and illustrated the electro-inagnetic locking device K by means of which the clutch G, G is moved into or out ot. gear. The latch-member L which is attached to the clutclrlever is shown as locked to the armature of the electro-magnet K when holding the clutch in gear. The latch ll engages with the member it which is: capable of angular motion around the shaft. 1 under the tension of the helical spring s of the clutch shown in Fig. 1. but which. when the parts are in the position shown in l ins. t and 7. is prevented from moving); as hi locked in place by its upper end coming in contact with the tailpiece ot a second angularly-movable men'iber ll.

When the parts are in the position shownin the drawings, the. member L 13 prevented from turning by the end of the armatureB abutting against thedownwardly-depending 'limht of the member If, as shown in Fig. 3. As soon, however, as the elect-ro- .magnet K is energized, the armature is raised and thereby moved out of the Way of the limb-4; of the member L so that it no longer prevents the rotation in the direc' and releases the latch L.

tion of the arrow shown in Fig. 5 of the member If. This being the case, the tailpiece 2'no longer prevents the movement of the member L so that the same gives Way The different parts of the lock are then returned under the action of gravity and of the helical spring s onthe shaft 1 to the position illustrated in" Figs. 4C and 5, so as to be-r'eady for engagement by-the latch L when the clutch is again placed'into gear.

In order that the contacts J and J and the circuit closedby the same are not unnecessarily traversed by the current, the

circuit containing these parts is provided with a switch S, 3, which is opened, as shown in Fig 3, when the clutch-lever moves'into its inoperative or open position so that the circuit is interrupted. When the Fig. 2. I

clutch-lever moves the clutch into its geared or operative position, the switch S, S is returned into closed position, as shown in The cam-shaft N is driven by suitable sprocket-wheelsand a sprocket-chain T 1 which is kept taut by an adjustable idler T,

the sprocket-Wheels being again driven by a suitable pinion on the shaft of'thccon-veying I belt or apron and a gear-wheel transmission 6', 2' as shown inwFig. 1.

In order that the apparatus may be started or stopped from that end of the machine, at which the hat-body forming cone is located, it is'preferable to arrange a start j ing and stopping lever U at that end. This 4 proper time before the lever U is shown in Fig. 1 and-is connected by an axially-turning rod U which turns in keepers u, with a belt-shifting lever U by which the driving-shaft of the 'sprocketivheel transmission for the feed-apron is placed in or out 'ofoperatioin-and the entire feeding attachment stopped.

The arm N maybe angularly adjusted upon its shait so as to vary the timing of the operations which. "are controlled thereby. It is, of course, understood that the feedhpron is of such delivering capacity as to give the required charge to the pan in the above-described operations can be effected. The fur when delivered from the pan droppe onto the endless conveying belt or apron l: and conducted by the same and by suitable inter mediate-mechanism to the hat-body forming cone in the usual manner. The conveyingbelt on-is driven by means of shaft to Wli ta:cy motion is applied, which motion is transmitted by the pinion and gear-Wheel transmission before referred to, to the'shaft N, While the motion of the shaft N can be interrupted by means of a sliding lever z' which is arranged along the side-wall of the hopper B and by which the intermediate motion-transmitting pinion ismoved out of mesh with the pinion on the shaft of the conveying belt or apron so that the latter is stopped whenever it should be necessary to prevent the feeding of fur to the hat-body forming cone. The other accessories of the Weighing and feeding attachment are the same'as in the machines of this type heretofore in use. Iclaim:

1. In a feeding and iveighing attachment for hat-body forming machines, the combination of a feed-apron, a movable Weighingpan, electric contacts controlled by said pan, an electric circuit, an electro magnetic lockiug device -in said circuit, a clutch on the shaft of the feed-apron which clutch, is placed out of gear by said electro-magnetic locking device, and a rotatory cam-roller for placing the clutch into gear, so that when the required quantity of fur has been delivered to the pan the motion of thefeed apron is electrically interrupted and when the fur has been. discharged from the pan,

the feed-apron is mechanically restarted.

2. .In a feeding and Weighing attachment forlmt-body forming machines, the combi nation of 'a feed-apron, a movable weighingpan, electric contacts controlled by said pan, an electric circuit, an electro-magnetic locking device in said circuit, a clutch on the shaft of the feed-apron which clutch is placed out of gear by the electromagnetic locking device, a cam for placing the. clutch into gear, means for rotating said cam, and a switch in said circuit, operated by the clutclroperating gear for interrupting the. electric circuit on placing the clutch out of gen r and arresting the motion of the feed- 1110 apron.

3. In an automatic feeding and weighing attachment for hat-body forming machines, ihe combination of a fur-feeding apron, a

movable weighing an, electric contacts controlled by said pan, an electric circuit, an,

eloctro-niagnetio locking device in said ciramt. a clutch WhlCll 1S placed out of gear by said electromagnetic locking device, a

deflector, an eleotro-lnagnetic releasing device for said deflector, means for mechanically returning the deflector into locked pol0 sition, and means for mechanically moving the clutch into gear for restarting the feed ing operation after 21 certain predetermined period of time.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing 15 my invention, I have signed my name in 15 presrnro of two subscribing Witnesses.

LOUIS Hr-KFEMANN. \Yitnossi's:

PAUL GHHCPEL, Jonx MUR'rAoi-i. 

